All I had to do was sign the contract. That’s it. Scribe my signature on the line and life as I knew it would change for the next six months. But I hesitated — not because the money wasn’t good, not because the job wasn’t challenging, but because I knew signing that contract meant a sharp change in how I’d have to live my life.
I’m a freelancer. Not just by title, but by personality. I love the freedom of setting my own schedule — being able to have lunch with close friends on a summer afternoon, or stay out late on a Tuesday was a life I’d fought hard to create. Not to mention that I loved being home every time my daughter got in from school so we had that extra time together. These things were priceless.
With this new position, I’d have to give all of that up, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready. The opportunity was too great, though. I’d have a chance to see my writing potentially impact millions of people. I couldn’t turn it down, so I didn’t. I jumped in.
When I jumped, I wasn’t sure where I’d land. This was my first time in a true office environment, first time in a corporate setting, and my first time working for big business. Would they try to suck my creativity? Force me to change who I was to fit some kind of company mandate? All of these were very real concerns, none of which turned out to be true.
Where I did land was on my feet, and I hit the ground running. The challenge of having to understand the design world, of having to learn how to function in an agile environment and still produce high-quality content, of figuring out how to express myself among the most intelligent group of people I’ve ever been around — all these things motivated me to be my best.
Another Leap
Six months flew by and I was faced with another decision. I was offered a full-time position: no more contract, no more dipping my toes in a world knowing that there was an expiry date. It was time to commit.
I thought about what this would mean… how my lifestyle would change more permanently. Again, I asked myself if I was ready. There was an opportunity to take another six-month contract, but that just wasn’t appealing to me. Either I was in this thing, or I wasn’t. So I closed my eyes and took another leap.
You just never know. That’s the thing. In the span of half a year, I went from refusing to read the job description to becoming a full-time employee. My lifestyle has changed, but so has my life. I can’t even put into words how much I’ve learned over the past year. My writing skills have improved, and so has the scope of what I can produce. I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do.
I’m already looking forward to the next challenge, whatever or wherever that may be.
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